Add to the City Building problem — asbestos

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Add to the City Building problem — asbestos

by Portsmouth Daily Times

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http://portsmouth-dailytimes.com/bookmark/11206295

Portsmouth Police Chief Horner says that workers cleaning mold from the

city building have, unknowingly, exposed asbestos from tiles.Portsmouth Police

Department workers will now be exposed to not only black mold, but asbestos,

says Portsmouth Police Chief Horner.

Horner said that currently the Patrol and Records departments are operating out

of the Central Fire Station, the Narcotics and Detective division from a house

across the alley from the city building, and part of the administration from the

offices of the Emergency Management Agency at the rear of Life Ambulance

corporate offices, while a second company attempts to clean up the black mold.

The original company, ServPro, that started the project was fired over a week

ago by Portsmouth Mayor Malone.

So what are the prospects of the police returning to the City building?

" I think the plan of the city is to move us back into the City building after

about another 60 days or so, " Horner said.

Does he feel good about returning?

" No, absolutely not because I don't think the proper steps are being taken to

properly remediate the mold, " Horner said. " And I think that will be a recurring

problem. "

Horner dropped a bombshell as to what he perceives as an even worse problem than

what they started with.

" Obviously we now have the potential for asbestos contamination of the

building, " Horner said. " When they were removing ceiling tiles from the Police

Department there was evidence of possible asbestos tiles and adhesives becoming

brittle and laying on top of the lower ceilings and being transported through

and out the building, as well as asbestos insulation on water pipes or steam

pipes being disturbed and obviously deteriorating. "

During the time that work was being done, was the HVAC system turned on blowing

the substances through the system?

" I was in the department probably three to four times, " Horner said. " And I

observed the HVAC system in operation at least two of those four times. "

Why is operating that system while the work is being done a bad idea?

" Clearly the guidelines established by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency),

endorsed by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the CDC

(Centers for Disease Control), and the World Health Organization (WHO),

recommend total containment — that being through plastic sheeting and duct tape,

of the containment area because of the largeness of the square foot area that is

affected, " Horner said. " And that was not done. And there should have been

negative pressure, basically a vacuum put on the air within that containment

area. And the air should have passed through HEPA filters and then passed to the

outside of the building. "

Horner said he is concerned that while the work to contain the black mold is

being done, nothing is being done to keep it from coming back.

" In fact I posed that question at the city staff meeting yesterday (Monday) in

that, `are we going to address the underlying problem of the origination of the

mold?' " Horner said. " And I understand that we are not going to do that prior to

remediation. "

What is the safety factor involved with going back and working with the existing

files and computers within the contamination area?

" Clearly now if they weren't before, contaminated with mold, they are, in my

opinion, based on the way the remediation was attempted, they are now, obviously

with mold, but in addition, possibly asbestos, " Horner said. " That includes

evidence, property that is in possession of the Police Department and records,

as well as office equipment, computers and anything else that was in the

department. "

How will it be better for the members of the Police Department, once the black

mold remediation work is completed?

" Short term it will be probably better, " Horner said. " But over time I think

that we will see a resurgence of the mold. "

What does being scattered all over town do to the uniformity and cohesiveness of

the department?

" Obviously it is detrimental to the operation of the Police Department, our

ability to interact as the solidified unit in order to address the issues that

affect the community — those being drugs and crime, " Horner said.

According to the Enviro Consulting System, Inc. web site — " Health complaints as

a result of poor air quality results in productivity losses in the millions of

dollars each year. Poor indoor air quality affects businesses and reduces work

productivity. "

Horner said several employees, including himself, have suffered illnesses he

believes were caused by the mold.

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